What are you currently playing?

[stroopwafel]

Yakuza 7. The story and characters in this game are hilarious but it also has darker, serious moments. Yakuza 7 is one of the games in an entire series that can balance this without feeling like a complete tonal whiplash. They really know how to switch between light-hearted and serious in the main narrative and then relegate most of the absurdity to the side missions. I also like the combat system a lot, it really works as a JRPG. It somehow feels less repetitive eventhough it's menu based. I'm also surprised of the maturity with which the game deals with subjects like prejudice, finger-pointing, homelesness and prostitution. The game never gets preachy but rather dives into the sociological circumstances in true Yakuza fashion and provide genuinely great commentary.

 

[meiam]

Yakuza 7. The story and characters in this game are hilarious but it also has darker, serious moments. Yakuza 7 is one of the games in an entire series that can balance this without feeling like a complete tonal whiplash. They really know how to switch between light-hearted and serious in the main narrative and then relegate most of the absurdity to the side missions. I also like the combat system a lot, it really works as a JRPG. It somehow feels less repetitive eventhough it's menu based. I'm also surprised of the maturity with which the game deals with subjects like prejudice, finger-pointing, homelesness and prostitution. The game never gets preachy but rather dives into the sociological circumstances in true Yakuza fashion and provide genuinely great commentary.

I dunno about maturity, it does deal with heavy subject and I'll give him point for that, but the resolution to those arc are always so comical it's hard to take seriously. Like, how do the character stop being homeless? Oh they just go to the local work agency and almost immediately get a job, well that was easy. A girl is forced into prostitution to pay for her father retirement, well that's a tricky situation, wonder how they'll explore... Oh, the gangster that run the place actually kill patient, for no reason whatsoever, and the main character just has to make a little speech to the head gangster for him to stop the whole thing and even pay for the old man to get a place at a new retirement place fully paid so that the daugther doesn't have to prostitute herself, well that was easy.

It constantly feel like it start to touch on meaty subject, realize this isn't something that can be easily solve, and immediately go for a fairy tale ending to leave the subject behind asap.

 

[BrawlMan]

So I've started playing Resident Evil 6. And so far...really not a fan of it.

This isn't me being a purist or anything - I quite like RE5, and RE4 is still my favourite in the series. However, RE6 is, at least so far, lousy.

Playing through Leon's campaign, I'll give credit where it's due, it does manage to set up atmosphere, but what derps it is the control. Controlling the character's movement feels too fluid, but the shooting feels too stiff. RE2 Remake (and I guess the 3 remake) have left me spoiled when it comes to over-the-shoulder shooting against zombies, as RE6 feel archaic in how it handles it. I like how you can do physical attacks, but the direction is too finnicky to be that effective. Also, no shortage of QTEs...yay...

Also, as linear as hell. Which isn't a problem in of itself (RE4 and 5 were linear), but RE4 at least hid its linearity, if that makes sense. This, however? Yeah.

I might have been more forgiving if I played this before the RE2 and 3 remakes, but as is...yeah. Not a fan.

Resident Evil 6's main problem is that it tried to appeal to everyone. Horror fans, non horror fans, Call of Duty and Gears of War fans, etc. All this is during the time when every triple a company under the Sun was trying to say how horror doesn't work anymore and that nobody plays horror games. Which was again another lie that they were trying to feed. Trying to convince themselves and especially the consumer. The Indies and AA showed how full of crap they all were. I know there was a lot of people harping on the Resident Evil 3 remake, but but I still enjoyed it for what it was. I'll happily take it over a majority of the later Resident Evil games; especially the six installment mainline game.

 

[laggyteabag]

What class are you playing? Because the game is at its worst when playing as a mage. Not only do you need to put up with one of the whiniest characters in all of Bioware, but the game just falls apart narratively.

I am indeed playing as a Mage.

The Templars never noticing that Hawke is a mage is something that has honestly never really bothered me too much, because it has always been right on top of my pile of suspended disbeliefs. Chances are, you will always have at least one mage in your party, whether it be Bethany, Anders, or Merril, so even if Hawke is a Rogue or Warrior, the comic strip above applies to pretty much every party composition that you are likely to be running around with.

Besides, fireballs are way more fun than swords or daggers, anyway.

As for Carver - who I assume you are referring to - yeah, he is a bit of a winger. I just clicked on him, and he came out with the line "Im with you Hawke... for now", like, okay mate. If you say so.

My biggest gripe with the way DA2 handles classes, is how your companions are completely locked down to certain playstyles. If you want Varric, he has to use a crossbow. If you want Isabela, she has to use daggers. Merril cannot be a healer. Whilst this isn't too much of an issue for most of your companions, it is a massive problem for Aveline, because she is the only companion who has access to the Sword and Shield talents, which makes her the only choice for your party's tank - unless Hawke is a Warrior. So you are forced to have her, or purposely gimp your party, basically.

I guess this isn't a massive bother for me, because I don't mind Aveline too much - it'd just be nice to at least have the option.

Thank god for mods.

 

[stroopwafel]

I dunno about maturity, it does deal with heavy subject and I'll give him point for that, but the resolution to those arc are always so comical it's hard to take seriously. Like, how do the character stop being homeless? Oh they just go to the local work agency and almost immediately get a job, well that was easy. A girl is forced into prostitution to pay for her father retirement, well that's a tricky situation, wonder how they'll explore... Oh, the gangster that run the place actually kill patient, for no reason whatsoever, and the main character just has to make a little speech to the head gangster for him to stop the whole thing and even pay for the old man to get a place at a new retirement place fully paid so that the daugther doesn't have to prostitute herself, well that was easy.

It constantly feel like it start to touch on meaty subject, realize this isn't something that can be easily solve, and immediately go for a fairy tale ending to leave the subject behind asap.

Oh, I see. I haven't played the game long enough to see any of the resolutions to the plot points it set up but that doesn't sound promising.

 

[happyninja42]

What class are you playing? Because the game is at its worst when playing as a mage. Not only do you need to put up with one of the whiniest characters in all of Bioware, but the game just falls apart narratively.

I found I really enjoyed the warrior class in DA:2, despite it not being my usual jam when it comes to fantasy class builds. Really all 3 were fun in that game, and could be built to be insane.

 

[Worgen]

So I've started playing Resident Evil 6. And so far...really not a fan of it.

This isn't me being a purist or anything - I quite like RE5, and RE4 is still my favourite in the series. However, RE6 is, at least so far, lousy.

Playing through Leon's campaign, I'll give credit where it's due, it does manage to set up atmosphere, but what derps it is the control. Controlling the character's movement feels too fluid, but the shooting feels too stiff. RE2 Remake (and I guess the 3 remake) have left me spoiled when it comes to over-the-shoulder shooting against zombies, as RE6 feel archaic in how it handles it. I like how you can do physical attacks, but the direction is too finnicky to be that effective. Also, no shortage of QTEs...yay...

Also, as linear as hell. Which isn't a problem in of itself (RE4 and 5 were linear), but RE4 at least hid its linearity, if that makes sense. This, however? Yeah.

I might have been more forgiving if I played this before the RE2 and 3 remakes, but as is...yeah. Not a fan.

That's generally the consensus, that re6 is kinda crap.

 

[meiam]

Oh, I see. I haven't played the game long enough to see any of the resolutions to the plot points it set up but that doesn't sound promising.

Oh I hope I didn't spoil anything, sorry if I did.

It's not terrible and I'll still give props for the game for even attempting to touch those subjects, but almost every problem is resolved by punching people and making a big speech which really undermine the seriousness of the situation.

 

[stroopwafel]

Oh I hope I didn't spoil anything, sorry if I did.

It's not terrible and I'll still give props for the game for even attempting to touch those subjects, but almost every problem is resolved by punching people and making a big speech which really undermine the seriousness of the situation.

It doesn't matter, it's all about the journey as they say. I really appreciate the game deals with those subjects without being belligerent or judgemental and it's rare that you see any marginalized groups treated respectfully in media. But I guess they could only take it so far before it would no longer fit the style of the game. It's a shame really because the writing talent is obviously there.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

So I've started playing Resident Evil 6. And so far...really not a fan of it.

This isn't me being a purist or anything - I quite like RE5, and RE4 is still my favourite in the series. However, RE6 is, at least so far, lousy.

Playing through Leon's campaign, I'll give credit where it's due, it does manage to set up atmosphere, but what derps it is the control. Controlling the character's movement feels too fluid, but the shooting feels too stiff. RE2 Remake (and I guess the 3 remake) have left me spoiled when it comes to over-the-shoulder shooting against zombies, as RE6 feel archaic in how it handles it. I like how you can do physical attacks, but the direction is too finnicky to be that effective. Also, no shortage of QTEs...yay...

Also, as linear as hell. Which isn't a problem in of itself (RE4 and 5 were linear), but RE4 at least hid its linearity, if that makes sense. This, however? Yeah.

I might have been more forgiving if I played this before the RE2 and 3 remakes, but as is...yeah. Not a fan.

Yup, RE6 is bad. Really bad. I am also not an RE purist, I personally love the coop RE games, I think RE5 and Revelations 2 are really good fun games.

RE6 feels bad, has bad level design, bad enemy design, and is way too long for its own good. Making 4 different campaigns was a complete waste of resources because those campaigns are completely unfocused with sections that are downright broken (like the snowmobile section).

 

[AnxietyProne]

Who's your favorite character so far? Mines Yaksha and Ninja.

I HAD to at least start with Kunoichi for nostalgia, but I quickly got the hang of Ninja's quirks and strengths.

Still, none of that matches the sheer joy of being a titanic samurai mech grabbing handfuls of soldiers and slamming them.

Oh, and I squee'd with joy at being able to hear the original Daddy Mulk track with the game too. Yet to this day, I still hear Daddy MILK in the song...

 

[EvilRoy]

They already have a two game set in the control universe in development. But yeah the weird item stuff and the organisation aspect were the best part of the game and I kept getting annoyed that the game would constantly stear away from that for the rather mundane brother/sister story and just another fight against enemy I already killed a bunch.

As far as difficulty goes, its a bit hard to find details but the game seem to work with some kind of very aggressive enemy scaling based on your stats and possibly also based on how long ago you died. It results in some weird stuff, like for example you can try heavily investing into health and maybe die in 4 hits and then try teh same encounter but instead put no point into health and you'll still die in 4 hits. And yeah the gun is just there to use when you're waiting for your energy to recharge.

That would explain some of the odd circumstances that would come up for me where it seemed like enemies were easy to blast through after I screwed up a platforming section and died a few times.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

In Old School Runescape, I've started the final free-to-play quest, 'Dragon Slayer'. I've been a little stuck on a riddle, but I feel like I should be able to handle the dragon once I actually get to her. Someone also donated me a few PLEX, so I'll be able to play the full game for a couple of months before I have to start paying for it myself, too, so that's nice.

 

[happyninja42]

Been playing Remnant: From the Ashes for a few weeks now. It's....it's ok I guess. About as much as I expect from any souls-like game. Thin plot, mostly there to justify boss fights and maps. The randomized, procedurally generated mapping can be a bit tedious, but since it's meant to be replayed, it at least makes things kind of different. The addition of guns to a souls game is kind of neat, but I still prefer melee. The agro radius for mobs is aggressive as fuck. this game revels in the "lets send waves of dudes at the PC", so much that it can make traversing the maps a little annoying. I keep getting stopped every 10 feet because I've triggered another cluster of enemies, and they just never seem to stop. They spawn so many I sometimes think their is an infinite amount, but eventually you can actually clear out an area between checkpoint respawns.

Can't really say much good or bad about it. I got it free with PS+ and my wife likes watching me play these games, so it's a good couples thing for us. I find myself more engaged with this plot than anything by FromSoft, but that's not saying a lot.

 

[Drathnoxis]

I am indeed playing as a Mage.

The Templars never noticing that Hawke is a mage is something that has honestly never really bothered me too much, because it has always been right on top of my pile of suspended disbeliefs. Chances are, you will always have at least one mage in your party, whether it be Bethany, Anders, or Merril, so even if Hawke is a Rogue or Warrior, the comic strip above applies to pretty much every party composition that you are likely to be running around with.

Besides, fireballs are way more fun than swords or daggers, anyway.

As for Carver - who I assume you are referring to - yeah, he is a bit of a winger. I just clicked on him, and he came out with the line "Im with you Hawke... for now", like, okay mate. If you say so.

My biggest gripe with the way DA2 handles classes, is how your companions are completely locked down to certain playstyles. If you want Varric, he has to use a crossbow. If you want Isabela, she has to use daggers. Merril cannot be a healer. Whilst this isn't too much of an issue for most of your companions, it is a massive problem for Aveline, because she is the only companion who has access to the Sword and Shield talents, which makes her the only choice for your party's tank - unless Hawke is a Warrior. So you are forced to have her, or purposely gimp your party, basically.

I guess this isn't a massive bother for me, because I don't mind Aveline too much - it'd just be nice to at least have the option.

Thank god for mods.

I think it sticks out more with Hawke. (S)he is supposed to be this big prominent figure, and swing in all the major political circles. The Champion of Kirkwall! And nobody can see that they are plainly an apostate mage. Plus the fact that Hawke is the character that everybody speaks to makes it really egregious when characters go "Grr, them mages amirite Hawke?"

Also Anders is a Grey Warden, and so is governed by another authority rather than the Chantry.

Yes, I was talking about Carver. Just constantly whining at Hawke about how much better Hawke is than him. I was glad when he died or joined the Templars or whatever happened to him in my game.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Got Hades again for PS5, cos trying to play the Switch version on the biggsie Telly is helluva blurry experience. Damn that delicious art seriously pops on high resolution, Jen Zee (gotta love the name) has a talented eye for pleasing rich colour ensembles and unique vision. Though for the first time in a supergiant game, I don't find the soundtrack that memorable so far. It's more on the somewhat unremarkable side of metal, which understandably has thematic links to the environment, but I tend to find emotionally limiting these days and all kinda blends into one long flat hum of frosty angst throughout. No melancholic trip hop, folk, soul or DnB to be found! It's fine, it's not a problem, I'm fine, why would that be a problem? It's not, because it isn't, it's fine! Ok! Glad we got that settled.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Finished Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and it was pretty damn swell. While it isn't what it used to be in terms of its goofball sense of humor, and probably never will again, it was a pretty lovely experience all the same. Out of all of the post-original trilogy games this is probably the best one. And Rivet better be a mainstay - Don't fucking play with me Insomniac.

 

[XsjadoBlayde]

Finished Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and it was pretty damn swell. While it isn't what it used to be in terms of its goofball sense of humor, and probably never will again, it was a pretty lovely experience all the same. Out of all of the post-original trilogy games this is probably the best one. And Rivet better be a mainstay - Don't fucking play with me Insomniac.

Yeah I pretty much agree with all you said there. It's a good time that could've been better if they went for more risque humour and a marginally higher age rating. But monies gotta money I suppose. An enjoyable romp nonetheless. It does have a new game plus mode worth trying for the new weapon upgrades, like the previous game. Only problem is I'm not sure if it saves on new game + as last time I tried to load after first break, it appeared to treat it as only a special side mode with seemingly no save available. Or am I doing something wrong? Feels like I could be doing a wrong.

 

[Worgen]

I beat Shrine 2, it was really cool.

Grabbed another game by the same guy called Vomitorium, so far its really neat and manages to add Dark Souls and Metroid like elements to the Doom engine.

 

[Hawki]

I've started playing Command & Conquer: Rivals.

I'll give credit where it's due, there's more strategic depth than one would expect from a mobile game. Still, it IS a mobile game, so that means a grindfest (unless you do microtransactions), and limited strategic depth...yet somehow, more strategic depth than Tiberian Twilight. 0_0